Challenges and Solutions for Educating
Migrant Students
by:
Dr. Edgar Leon, Ph.D.
Education Consultant,
Michigan Department of Education
and Visiting Scholar at
Julian Samora Research Institute,
Michigan State University,
East Lansing, Michigan
Working Paper
May, 1996
Prelude
As a consultant in the Michigan Department of Education, I have
traveled around the state school systems for many years monitoring
and providing technical assistance to the 55 plus migrant education
programs. Throughout these years, I have observed the classrooms,
and talked to teachers, administrators, parents, farmworkers, and
health and social service providers. This experience has provided me
with certain data that is of great importance.
I speak as a member of a Hispanic group, and from this perspective
I may sound hurt and offended by the expressions I use to report what
I have seen.
While some may hold my credentials in question, I can only affirm
that they should try going to another country and earning a Ph.D. in
a language that is not their native tongue. I guess I have been one
of the lucky ones that got out of the barrio and made it regardless
of the gangs, drugs, violence, and limited economic opportunities.
As a consultant, I have made an effort to continue reading and
educating myself.
Unless an education consultant reads the latest research, teaches
at a school, works on problem solving in their area of expertise,
writes research papers, and actively participates as an advocate for
children, he or she is prone to vegetate in this field. Simply
watching the students fail in the classroom, walking the school
hallways, talking with frustrated teachers, parents and
administrators, and having lunch and dinner with politicians does not
qualify any person for recommending any significant changes in
curriculum or educational approaches. Just because a person is of
Hispanic heritage, looks Hispanic or speaks Spanish doesn't mean that
he or seh has a license to say what is right or wrong for all
Hispanic children in their school district or state. I personally do
not even attempt to recommend changes until I have studied each
situation thoroughly. I do not use my ethnicity as a flag or diploma
which makes me capable of providing expert advice. It takes more
than being Hispanic or having a Spanish surname. It takes hard work
and constant learning to effectively make such changes.
Enough of setting the record straight. The purpose of this paper
is to point to challenges and solutions for educating migrant
students for the next five years. Let's start by defining the term
"mirant student".
I. Introduction
Migrant workers are a group of people that contribute billions of
dollars to the U.S. economy and don't get much in return for
themselves or for their families. Every year this nation utilizes
about 840,000 migrant farmworkers, who have 409,000 children
traveling with them from one crop to another trying to make a living.
Schooling for them is pre-literate. Children of migrant workers are
exposed to dangerous chemicals, social neglect, disrupted schooling,
racism and living conditions that make our poor people look like
aristocrats.
But just exactly who are these migrant families? The 1993
National Agricultural Worker Survey (NAWS) done by the U.S.
Department of Labor revealed that migrant farmworkers in the United
States are:
. Primarily Hispanic (94 percent),
. born in Mexico (80 percent),
. married with children (52 percent),
. doing farmwork in the U.S. without their families (59 percent),
. mostly men (82 percent), and
. are today, or were until 1987-88, unauthorized workers (67
percent).
Many times these families are called by different names such as
aliens, illegals, immigrants, mexicans, chicanos, trouble makers and
worse. All these erroneous labels must be stopped. We can start by
educating our community about the positive side of having migrant
families come to our country every year. Our school systems are the
vehicle to provide such education to our community.
In addition, one of the best ways to show our gratitude to these
hard working families is to contribute to their children's education,
so that they can break the chains of dependency on temporary and
seasonal work. We can help these families learn that education can
give their children a better future. Our community must be very
grateful for these people, who are willing to work for very low wages
and under very hard conditions so that we can have our fruits and
vegetables on our tables.
Migrants usually harvest fruits and vegetables that must be picked
as soon as they ripen. After migrants finish the work in one area,
they seek jobs elsewhere. Few of these workers settle permanently in
any community. Most of the migrants in the United States are
Americans Indians, Mexican Americans, African Americans, or Puerto
Ricans. Of these, Hispanics compose 90% percent of the migrant farm
workers in America. Temporary farm workers generally receive low
wages and often cannot find work in one place long enough to qualify
for such government aid as food stamps, public assistance and
disability insurance. Shotland (1989) reports that there is a high
risk of injury from farm machinery and equipment, poor sanitation,
chronic and acute exposure to toxic pesticides, and harsh and
dangerous physical work in agricultural labor. In fact, farm labor
is reported as more dangerous than mining.
Many migrant families live in run-down, unsanitary housing. They
often lack adequate food or medical care, and many suffer
malnutrition or other health problems. Bartlett 1995, reports that
undocumented workers are often afraid to apply for benefits, even
when they are eligible.
Many migrant workers have difficulty finding other kinds of work
because they lack education and good command of the English language.
Only about a fifth of the migrant children go beyond sixth grade.
Migrant youngsters tend to fall behind in their education because
they change schools frequently. Some miss classes because they work
to help support their family. Many Michigan schools sponsor summer
sessions and other programs to promote the education of migrant
children who temporarily live in the area.
About this Paper
This paper will discuss several solutions to each of the
challenges presented. These are not the only solutions, and they
will focus only on the immediate need for migrant student services.
I will also provide ideas on what can be done by each state to assure
that the migrant education program is comprehensive in nature.
It is up to us migrant educators to start meeting these
challenges. It is also up to us to provide leadership without fear
of retaliation. You have the data, you know where to get more, you
can speak Spanish or English. So, what is the excuse? I will give
you my perspective, at the same time understanding that each of us
have a different way of accomplishing any given task.
The Migrant Student
These are students that, because of their high mobility during the
school year, lose educational continuity and lag behind in their
academics. As educators we must not pity or have low expectations
for migrant children or for any Hispanic child.
We as migrant educators, have to work harder and provide them with
quality, interesting, useful supplemental instruction. Supplemental
instruction should be understood as being in addition to the regular
school day instruction.
Migrant students are, on average 3 years behind their peers
academically. Some can't speak, read or write English. Now, what
would happen to you if I suddenly placed you in a classroom in China
and said "You should learn the Chinese language and compete with the
Chinese students. Plus, I will give three years to do this." You
would say, "I don't know the language because nobody has taught me."
Well then, why do we expect the migrant kids to know something we
have not taught them? In addition to all of this, school districts
provide tutors with dubious credentials, in order to give the
appearance of providing adequate services for these students. That
has only helped create a great employment opportunity for some local,
semi-educated Spanish speakers, and as a result we are penalizing our
migrant students with cheap instruction! This type of migrant
education program does not work, and will not work anymore.
The system is rigged against migrant students. Many adminstrators
don't speak Spanish and lack the means for testing the language
proficiency of the tutors or teachers they hire. They may simply
rely on what another non-fluent speaker may tell them. You must
start ordering college transcripts, and developing tools for
measuring a prospective or current teacher's Spanish language
proficiency. Just because your anglo-saxon teacher took Spanish in
high school does not mean that he or she is able to teach kids in
Spanish.
Migrant children that are Hispanic are at least a year behind in
their schooling even before they enter the first grade. According to
the National Center for Education Statistics (1995), Hispanic
students, on the average, have lower achievement scores and are less
ready for school than their non-hispanic white or African American
counterparts. You may add interrupted schooling as a significant
negative factor affecting migrant student achievement. This puts our
migrant students between three and four years behind their
anglo-saxon counterparts.
Nine out of ten Michigan migrant students are in grade levels
Kindergarten through eight. These students need extra help with
social, health and basic support services, While they try to adapt to
a culture that conflicts with their own. Something as basic as proper
nutrition is essential for setting the stage for learning.
Over the years as a migrant education consultant, I have been able
to identify six major challenges to migrant student education.
1. Interrupted Schooling;
2. Limited English Language Proficiency;
3. Lack of Health and Nutrition;
4. Social Isolation;
5. Economic Marginality; and
6. Lack of Self Esteem
In these sections that follow, I will discuss each challenge and
potential solutions for it.
A. Interrupted Schooling
Migrant farm workers move an average of six times per year, in
order to complete the cycle of farm harvesting. This movement from
one state to another, or from one rural area to another within a
state, creates a tremendous educational hazard for their children.
Migrant children will arrive in a new school, be tested on all
subjects, and placed in a room with new students in the middle of the
school year. Many migrant students are placed in a lower grade level
because the new school's standards and absenteesm policies are
different from the school they just came from. Curriculum
incompatibility and staff shortages create a compounding negative
effect. Migrant students are often placed in a room with a teacher
aide, or simply left alone in the school hallway. These conditions
often hinder and decrease the accumulation of credits they need to
pass from one grade to another. Many students simply decide not to go
to school because they want to work and help their parents. They
also get more positive reinforcement if they stay home and help take
care of their little brothers and sisters.
High school students have very little incentive and
self-motivation. Many migrant teenagers would rather drop out and
work than study all day long. College degrees are seen as expensive
activities that are not realistic. Many students are discouraged by
their families, because they will not have the resources to provide
college degree tuition. Many times they marry at an early age and
continue the migrant cycle.
The lack of a uniform interstate curriculum also affects the
migrant child's academic progress. Many states do not even recommend
science and math classes to migrant students, because educators there
have very low expectations about the migrant child.
B. Interrupted Schooling - Solutions
Since this is a multi-phased problem, it is a complex issue which
presents a real challenge for those of you who are creative thinkers
and problem solvers. As a first step, plan to base your predictions
for need according to what you have seen the past three years. Look
for patterns within the school population. If you know that, for the
past three years, you have had 40% monolingual migrant students in
your school, please have a teacher ready for them before they arrive
at your school. Look at your certificates of eligibility and analyze
the percent of elementary, middle and high school students who are
migrants. Have a list of all schools where your students come from.
You have a very good chance of getting them back in your school next
year.
In addition, migrant programs must provide instruction in the
migrant camps. They must create a charter school or academy that
will fit the migrant stream calendar.
Teachers must expose the migrant students to the latest computer
technology. Many lessons and books are available via the internet.
Teachers must start teaching these skills regardless of their
school's economic conditions. You must not wait for the turtles to
start moving. If your regular school system is out of sync, provide
new outreach programs that can meet the needs of these students. You
must not try to fit the students to a school calendar that is
dysfuctional to their way of living and learning. Schools must
accomodate learning to fit the student's needs.
As far as educational materials and books, have them ready for
distribution before the students arrive. Set aside some sets of
materials so that you don't have to spend time looking for than later
when the migrant students inevitably arrive. You may also ask the
migrant workers to call your school ahead of time from Texas, Florida
and Mexico. You may ask your recruiter to give them a phone where
they can reach you at all times. This alone will help you save
valuable time. Keep an academic portfolio on each migrant student,
including copies of their academic records on math, English and Oral
Language. This will help you have it ready for distribution to other
schools that request this information. Even if they don't request
it, you may take the initiative to call the schools and ask them if
they need the information. Use the data entry systems available to
your school. You must also use the quickest means for transferring
student information, such as fax, e-mail and regular mail, FedEx.
You are encouraged to be creative and to have a planning session
with all local staff and service providers. Write and distribute
priorities for the term. Provide a list of people responsible for the
accomplishment of each priority. Make sure you include the address,
fax, e-mail and phone numbers.
Limited English Language Proficiency
The first language of 75% of migrant children is not English.
Among these, many are foreign-born and have little or no schooling in
their native countries. Reading and oral language skils are
sometimes very difficult to attain because of the living conditions
and limited resources.
Many students are unable to learn English because they may not
have the resources to purchase books, or do not have the time and
transportation to borrow from the local libraries. More than 50% of
migrant parents are not able to read to their children, because they
have to work all day or because they don't have reading skills. This
will also cause a lack of interest in reading on behalf of the child.
School tutors may be a turn off as well in many schools they just
baby-sit and have students work on simple handouts or color pictures.
It is less expensive for local programs to hire teacher aides and
assistants than to have a certified teacher helping them catch up
with their skills.
Pull-out programs that help students once a week in the school
hallway for a few hours are also detrimental to the acquisition of
English. Students feel ashamed to be seen in the hallways with
another person. Other students and teachers may assume that the
student is a problem or is in special education.
To compound the problem even more, Bilingual Education is now
optional! Bilingual Education has been voted down by the unsensitive
majority the majority of people do not have any idea what it is like
to go to another country and learn a new language. This was a
totally biased note. Give me a group of non-minority voters and I
will give you a non-bilingual education vote. This new decision will
not only create a greater expense to the school, but will also create
a vacuum of teachers, materials and help needed to teach English as a
second language. Monolingual students in great need of help will
directly suffer the consequences.
What are the consequences? More drop outs and increasing gangs.
Who wants to be at a school where people look at you as a burden, as
an alien, and where people don't speak your native tongue? Would you
be a student in such a school where you don't feel welcome?
We will all have this challenge to deal with in the near future.
D. Limited English Proficiency - Solutions
Creativity and hard work are the only two immediate solutions that
I see for this challenge. We have to start a new school-wide
comprehensive program which will focus in the students' needs, not on
the local union's needs. Let me tell you a story. Once upon a time
there was a group called the Teachers Union, which had control of all
the school administrators and local boards of education. They had
what they wanted, when and where they wanted. One day they came to
school and discovered that all the students were absent. The
students had moved to another school where they felt welcomed and
where they had teachers that really considered them first priority.
The new teachers wanted all the students to succeed.
This story will become a reality if we don't start making some
radical changes in our school system. There is no dispute that local
students are not doing as well as we want them to. We all know that
most of our minority students are poor and go to schools that have
limited resources. These schools may also have high level of
absenteeism which, in fact, will eventually result in high drop out
rates.
It has been demonstrated by recent research that black and
Hispanic students do not perform as well as white students, in
general. What is not discussed is why this pattern is occurring in
our schools. You may notice that high income communities correlate
to good schools and high scores on the SAT. Such communities also
have a mostly white student population.
Now, lets see what happens with Hispanics.
Hispanics are reported as lower achievers than white students
according to the latest SAT reports. The National Center for
Education Statistics says "As early as age 9, differences can be seen
in academic performance of Hispanic and white students. Academic
proficiency in reading, mathematics, and science, as measured at age
9 by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), is lower
for Hispanic children than for white children. Although scores for
Hispanic 9-year olds have increased in mathematics and science over
the past 15-20 years, there has been little change in the gap between
the scores of white and Hispanic 9-year-olds over this time period."
If we add the lack of English language attainment for this group
we can conclude that it has a critical compounding effect. Not
knowing English will widen the gap even more. Most migrant children
come from a Spanish speaking environment. We have plenty of students
from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and other Latin
American countries where Spanish is the native tongue. In addition,
many of the families don't know how to work with our welfare system.
They may not have the language skills to request the benefits which
they by law, qualify for. Many parents don't frequent teacher/parent
meetings because they have very limited communication skills or feel
that they wont make a difference if they complain. Some even fear
that if they complain, the teachers will retaliate by suspending
their children. Lack of bilingual support is a turn off for most of
the students. They will quickly start skipping school and dropping
out because they feel that schools do not want them there and that
they are outsiders.
We must stop these racist practices and start teaching migrant
students how to read and write English. If they only speak Spanish,
we must quickly assign a bilingual teacher to use the students native
language and help them make the transition. This should not be done
by promoting assimilation. It should be done by praising the student
for knowing another language, and making him or her feel proud of the
fact that they know how to read and write in another language. "We
should not promote UNLEARNING SPANISH." Our schools should promote
more learning and not un-learning.
E. Lack of Health and Nutrition
Migrants and their families have much worse physical health than
the general population. The infant mortality rate among migrants is
125% percent higher than the general population, and the life
expectancy of migrant farm workers is 49 years, in contrast to the
nation's average of 75 years (National Migrant Resources Program,
1990).
Commonly reported health problems among migrant farm workers and
their children include: lower height, weight, and other
anthropometric attainments; respiratory disease; parasitic
conditions; skin infections; chronic diarrhea; vitamin A deficiency;
and undiagnosed congenital and developmental problems. In addition,
accidental injuries, heat related illness, and chemical poisoning are
highly prevalent among the population (American Academy of
Pediatrics, 1989; Shotland, 1989; Koch, 1988; National Rural Health
Care Association, 1986).
F. Lack of Health and Nutrition - Solutions
We should make it a top priority to update all required
vaccinations for all migrant children and families that arrive to our
school. We have come a long way with this activity but we still have
plenty to do. Your school is responsible for each of the children
that are part of your school community. You must be flexible with
the schedules provided for vaccinations. You must also take these
basic services to the camp, during and after work hours. Some
schools opt for taking the children in school transportation or using
the local migrant recruiters to assist with this responsibility.
Parents should know that it is crucial to update their children's
vaccinations.
Access becomes a great concern to all of us in migrant education.
Many hospitals love to refer all migrant families to local migrant
clinics. Migrant families must not be denied basic services. School
officials must get involved in making sure that these discriminatory
practices come to an end. Most of the excuses used are that there
are no doctors available, the schedule for the next appointment may
be three weeks from the day of the visit and that they ran out of
vaccines. Let me tell you that these excuses are not and should not
be acceptable. Migrant education staff must identify these hospitals
and health providers. They must report them to the proper
authorities so that the next time they apply for federal funding or
state funding for special populations, they are denied such monies.
Most hospitals have the option to set payment plans and offer
special Medicaid services for poor families. Migrant directors and
principals must meet directly with the service providers to supply a
list of all the migrant families in the area so that they receive top
priority. Remember that these families come for a short period of
time and they don't have time to waste waiting for a doctor. They
may also opt for not going to the hospital because they fear that the
hospital will report them to immigration officials if they don't have
the proper identification.
We have a great challenge ahead with this issue. Migrant families
are exposed to many chemicals during their work. These contaminated
environments may bring future illness to family members and also
complications for migrant student learning.
Be sure to have good and complete health records on each family
member. This will help you update health records when they return
every year. Teachers and staff must be aware of any immediate
illness a child may have. Migrant and general school staff must have
a plan of action as it relates to migrant health issues. These plans
should be coordinated with local health providers.
G. Social Isolation
The isolation of the migrants from the rest of the community where
they are living is hard to imagine until it has been experienced.
Camps are located in rural areas near the fields. It is possible to
drive through farm land where literally hundreds of thousands of
migrants are living and working, and yet be unaware of their
existence.
Migrants are socially invisible. Ethnic groups are often kept
separate in camps. They rarely interact with each other, thus
re-enforcing the isolation. Local people try to keep migrants at a
distance. In addition to being strangers, migrant children are often
culturally different; local children ignore or pick on them.(Diaz,
etal.,1989) Migrant families try not to use the existing local
systems to get help. They will try to get help and support within
the migrant camp population before they ask or apply for any health,
social or educational benefits. If they are from another country and
do not have proper documentation, they will not ask for any will help
and try to live totally isolated from the outside world.
The migrant parent will rarely question the teacher or school
system about any situation concerning their child. They will accept
as correct and unquestioned the will and demands of the school
towards their children. Most parents may feel intimidated by school
meetings. They will also will be discouraged if the teacher does not
speak their native language.
H. Social Isolation - Solutions
It is a fact that the institution for socialization and migrant
student interaction is the school. A number of factors (e.g.
language, transportation, and access) influence migrants' involvement
with the school and other community institutions. We must teach all
migrant students at an early age that it is important to learn
English in order to know the system and work within the system. It
will be to their advantage to know two languages. It will also help
them interact with the rest of the children.
Schools must make an effort to schedule educational trips to
museums, theaters, supermarkets, science fairs, universities,
festivals, and other community activities so that they learn how to
behave within the different environments and learn from the visits.
All activities must have goals and objectives directed at
instruction.
Mainstream students from your school system must know the migrant
population and the importance of having these children in our nation.
You as the migrant educator are responsible for teaching all
administrators and local boards of education that the migrant
children are an asset and not a liability. You must set the record
straight and provide all this information to your school.
The best place to start is by talking at parent meetings and
teacher conferences, and in cafeterias and teachers' lounges.
Another group that is very important for this challenge are
bilingual teachers. They are the ones responsible for planning all
the activities and materials to be used in order to encourage all
groups of children to understand all cultures and respect them for
what they are. You must teach that being different is not being bad.
Being different is a natural part of life which we must comprehend
at an early age if we want to succeed in the future. Be creative
with the activities and places you select for educational trips.
Always remember that they must have an educational purpose and that
you are to lead the way.
I. Economic Marginality
Income studies (Shotland, 1989) show that in 1986 the average
annual income for migrant farm workers was remarkably low - less than
$6500 . Work for the migrant family is usually seasonal and
inconsistent. Most workers are not covered by employee benefit
programs. In addition to residency problems, language barriers, and
lack of contact with community services, most migrant families
receive few social, economic, or health benefits. Though very poor,
migrant families benefit little from available human services
programs. Parents who are barely surviving economically find that
their children's school attendance is a hardship. Children could
improve the family's income by working in the fields if they did not
have to go to school. This is a fact that drives the migrant family,
and it is more pressing for children that are in the junior high and
high school grade levels.
J. Economic Marginality - Solutions
Migrant and seasonal farm workers continue to face many of the
same problems in agriculture that they experienced a decade ago:
uncertain demand for jobs, problems in finding housing and
accommodations for families with children, uncertain incomes and
related poverty.(Rochin,1994)
Many migrant families come from Texas, Florida and Mexico to
Michigan with a promise of work which sometimes results in a loss of
income rather than a gain. Many come to find that there is no work
at the camp, and that their deposit for housing cannot be refunded to
them. Many families give the growers up to three months rent in
advance, even though they may stay only a few weeks. We can help them
with this problem by getting involved with the camp owners, and
making sure that they know that you care!
Migrant housing is not what we are all used to. Heat, noise,
overcrowding, odors, dust, and lack of toilets and running water are
just a few of the variables that may affect learning. Many migrant
children find it very difficult to study and concentrate while their
home temperature is close to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Or maybe the
people around the neighborhood are noisy with radios and TV sets
blasting. Many children have to take care of their younger siblings
while their parents work in the fields. Work is the first priority
among the majority of the migrant families. That is the basic reason
why they move and that should be understood by all of us. These are
some of the reasons why you as a teacher or advocate should make an
effort to visit the camps regularly.
If you have the migrant families' economic condition in mind, you
will not make erroneous assumptions. Clothing, food and shelter are
essential elements for any family to succeed. By creating a program
to supply these needs, you may be well advanced in solving some of
the major problems that affect migrant student learning.
Farm worker earnings have not improved in terms of purchasing
power. In general, farm workers with fewer than 150 days of annual
employment at wages of $6.52 per hour on the average, live in
poverty. They may need social services, health services, and welfare
to support their families. Your efforts for referral and networking
with local service providers are essential for this challenge.
K. Lack of Self Esteem
Because of the instability and continuous change of school
environments, the migrant child faces a very disruptive schooling.
Friends and teachers have to be left behind just when they are
starting to develop confidence and security. Many of these children
have to leave their friends and extended family behind so that they
can follow their parents. Their living conditions and house
commodities have to be very simple and practical. Most of the time
even toys and dolls have to be left behind because there is no space
in the truck. They also have to deal with being over- age for their
school grade.
Many migrant students are older and more physically developed than
their peers. For this reason and others, they are constantly teased
by the other children. They may also feel out of place because
smaller children have mastered the material covered by the teacher,
while they struggle with learning English and other subjects at a
slower pace. This creates an insecure environment for learning. It
also becomes a great challenge for all the school staff to tackle at
the beginning of the school year and all summer.
Many times the migrant child is placed in a special education
class because he or she has not mastered the language, and because
the student has problems catching up with all the material to be
covered in the school curriculum. More often, children are measure
by the speed of completion than the mastery of the subject. They may
take longer to master a subject but it should not be confused with
having a mental handicap. They are victims of the environment and
their own interrupted schooling. The worst case is when they are
labeled speech-impaired because they cannot speak, read or write
English as well as their native counterparts; or because the school
does not have enough money to cover the costs for an extra teacher.
Modern education places value on speed. We ask our students to
learn things, and to learn them fast. Those that take a little
longer because of language barriers are penalized, not because they
don't know the material but because they do not comprehend it and
need extra time. What makes this situation even worse is that the
translators we have for these students may not know enough Spanish or
English to provide the students with effective instruction! We need
to get off the speed kick and concentrate on teaching our kids the
basic material they are supposed to learn. Learning is supposed to
be fun, not punishment. We are supposed to give them interesting and
challenging examples. A valuable class cannot be taught out of a
book, and the teacher should not be a moderator. The teacher must be
the person providing guidance and excitement to students. Teachers
should be helping students identify the resources needed for the
objectives to be accomplished.
Do you really think that learning of any subject can happen with
just half an hour a week? Not very likely. You need to gather all
the school personnel and set the record straight. You, as the
advocate, have to give teachers all the information you can give them
on each of your migrant students, so that teachers know what they are
going to be faced with. This way they can prepare goals and
objectives ahead of time, and teach our migrant students effectively.
L. Lack of Self Esteem - Solutions
To boost self esteem, our migrant children need continuous praise
from all teachers, parents, family, staff and the entire community.
We must praise all the positive accomplishments and provide them with
additional steps and educational tools. We have to make sure that
they realize that they too can make it. If they try hard and study
every day, the results will be positive. We should not turn the
migrant children off by lowering our standards or expectations, or by
pointing out all their mistakes in front of the entire class.
Teachers should identify their students' skills, hobbies and any
other activities that they do well, so that other students focus on
these accomplishments. You should help other students and staff
accept and understand migrant students.
There are many other techniques to be used in the classroom to
increase self esteem. Talk with your school counselor to get other
materials or ideas for this particular challenge.
We already know that these students are from economically
disadvantaged environments and that being poor brings many
characteristics and conditions allowing students to be categorized as
"at risk". Before we start placing labels on our migrant students,
let's try to identify their strengths and make them feel at home.
Let's have an interpreter available at all times that can help bridge
the gap between the school principal and the parents. Please
understand that migrant children have a hard life on a daily basis
because of their high mobility, interrupted schooling, economic
conditions, ethnicity and migrant lifestyle.
III. Conclusions
You have been exposed to just a few of the solutions for the
challenges presented. My purpose is to provide you with some easy
alternatives for immediate action. Migrant Education is here to stay
and it must change with the new century. School-wide programs must
include migrant education and ways to fulfill migrant students'
immediate needs. Priority should be given to these students at all
times. They are the ones with the compounding effect of mobility,
language, economics and health service limitations. The challenge is
yours and there is no limit to the potential solutions. It is up to
us to provide immediate positive action.
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